In Hungary, borders are borders; those who are not entitled to enter are not allowed to cross the borders

According to the Hungarian rules, the illegal crossing of the border is an unlawful act. Illegal border crossing is not a human right, it qualifies as a criminal offence; in Hungary, borders are borders, those who are not entitled to enter are not allowed to cross the borders, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated in Brussels on Wednesday.

At a stage discussion conducted at the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) with Israeli philosopher-head of the Jerusalem-based Herzl Institute Yoram Hazony, Mr Orbán stressed that all applicants whose asylum requests were being assessed must wait outside the borders. This is the most important question, this is the red line. If we fail to achieve this throughout Europe, the issue of migration cannot be resolved, he pointed out.

Hungary does not want a mixed society; it wants to protect its borders, it wants to preserve its culture and traditions, he stated.

The individual Member States must independently decide how they wish to resolve the issue of migration. There is no need for a common EU migration policy, the issue of migration must fall within national competence, the Prime Minister pointed out.

He said the issue of migration is a civilisational issue. Europe is a continent with Christian roots. However, the majority of those who currently want to come to Europe come from different cultures, mainly from a Muslim background. At the same time, migration has a historical horizon, and so we must ask the questions: What will Hungary look like in the future? Will it have a Christian, Muslim or some other cultural background?

He said everyone themselves must decide what kind of a country with what kind of a culture they want to create, and in what kind of an environment. However, no one should force their own will upon others. Hungary takes the view that the mixed society envisaged by the liberals does not lead to anything positive, he said.

The Prime Minister added that it was likewise not possible to centrally dictate how one country or another should solve the problem of aging societies. According to Hungary, forcing migration is not the answer to demographic problems. Hungary would like to improve the situation primarily through a strong family support system, he stated.

He highlighted that conservative governments - which in the opinion of the Brussels leadership "don't behave correctly" - are being blackmailed; instead of acting as a Guardian of the Treaties, the European Commission has become a political actor. In his words, the real reason why the EU leadership is forcing migration is that the liberals want to collect new votes. "This is not about the economy, not about democracy. The real reason is to obtain power through votes. This is the reality on the ground," he pointed out.

Mr Orbán said, at present, in Europe's progressive, liberal ocean, Hungary is an island of diversity, the right place where conservatives are free to talk and to make political plans for the future.

"The warriors of freedom must again be active and must take action in Europe," the Prime Minister said, adding that conservative civil societies must be created with conservative people who are ready to fight for freedom. Hungary is the right place for this, he pointed out.

Regarding the geopolitical situation, Mr Orbán said Hungary would not like to share a border with Russia again as was the case during the Soviet times. Hungary recognises Ukraine's rights and independence, and Russia's attack on Ukraine is totally in violation of all international conventions and the values we all collectively respect, he stressed. We must see, however, that at present, Ukraine is a protectorate of the West which means that without an ongoing supply of weapons and financial grants the country would not exist, he said. "Ukraine is no longer an independent country," he laid down.

He said Hungary does not want to give up the good economic cooperation that exists between Hungary and Russia as the Russo-Ukrainian war is not the Hungarian people's war. The Ukrainians want to protect their country, that is their decision, he said.

He pointed out at the same time that the issue of Ukraine's prospective NATO membership was the cause of the war, and then added that the Russians would never allow Ukraine in its present form to become a member of the military alliance. They will do everything they can to maintain a buffer zone between NATO and Russia, he said.

A ceasefire and peace talks would be better than the continuation of the war as it would be time to admit that Ukraine is unable to win on the battlefield. This is the reality on the ground, he pointed out.

The Prime Minister said Hungary condemns all attacks against Israel, and recognises its right to self-defence. We must avoid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and prevent the region from becoming a war zone again as that could destabilise Europe and could threaten peace and security, Mr Orbán added.

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